NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop) vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop) vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 for desktops is a fast mid range graphics card in the GeForce Turing line-up. It uses a TU106 chip with 1,920 shader, 45 ROPs, 120 TMUs, 240 KI-cores and a 192 Bit memory bus that connects 6 GB of GDDR6 (clocked at 7 GHz leading to 14 GHz effective and 336 GB/s).

 The mobile variant of the RTX 2060 bears the same name, but offers considerable lower clock speeds (see our RTX 2060 laptop page).

Features

NVIDIA manufacturers the TU106 chip on a 12 nm FinFET process and includes features like Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and Real-Time Ray Tracing (RTRT), which should combine to create more realistic lighting effects than older GPUs based on the company's Pascal architecture (if the games supports it). The RTX 2060 is also DisplayPort 1.4 ready, while there is also support for HDMI 2.0b, HDR, Simultaneous Multi-Projection (SMP) and H.265 video en/decoding (PlayReady 3.0).

Performance

The average RTX 2060 should be on par with a Radeon RX Vega 64 and between the GeForce GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 / 1070 Ti. Therefore, the RTX 2060 is most suited for 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 in demanding games.

Power Requirements

NVIDIA specifies that the RTX 2060 should consume a maximum of 160 W and therefore clearly higher than the old GTX 1060 rated at 120 Watt.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 sits behind the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti as the second fastest desktop GPU in NVIDIA's current Turing line-up. The RTX 2080 has 2,944 shader units, 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM and a 256-bit interface that runs at 14 GHz and delivers up to 448 GB/s.

Features

NVIDIA manufacturers the TU104 chip on a 12 nm FinFET process and includes features like Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and Real-Time Ray Tracing (RTRT), which should combine to create more realistic lighting effects than older GPUs based on the company's Pascal architecture (if the games supports it). The RTX 2080 is also DisplayPort 1.4 ready, while there is also support for HDMI 2.0b, HDR, Simultaneous Multi-Projection (SMP) and H.265 video en/decoding (PlayReady 3.0).

Performance

The RTX 2080 should perform on par with a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, but it will outclass the latter in games that support DLSS and RTRT. The RTX 2080 is at the pinnacle of consumer desktop GPUs and can play most triple-A games released in 2018 at high graphics in 4K.

Power Requirements

NVIDIA estimates that the RTX 2080 should consume a maximum of 215 W, which is 35 W higher than the company rates its GeForce GTX 1080.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q design is the power saving variant of the mobile GeForce RTX 2060. Therefore it is a high end gaming graphics card for thin laptops. It is based on the same chip as the RTX 2060 but with reduced clock speeds and a lower power consumption. It was released in 2020 with the Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop.

With the refresh, Nvidia also reworked the Max-Q technologies for more efficiency. Low Voltage GDDR6 (lower clocked but more headroom for the GPU) and improved regulator efficiency should improve the performance per Watt. Two new optional features can also be implemented by the OEM. Max-Q Dynamic Boost is able to shift power from the CPU to the GPU on a per frame basis to increase overall performance. Furthermore, the laptop manufacturer can also implement Advanced Optimus with a dynamic display switch (hardware) to enable Optimus, G-SYNC and high refresh rate displays (up to 4K 120 Hz).

The clock is not the only difference compared to the regular GTX 2060 though. The drivers for the Max-Q version were optimized for efficiency (and not performance; only for Max-Q models), there are optimized voltage converters for 1V operation, high-end cooling methods, and a 40 dB limit for the fan noise (with clock adjustments to ensure this at all times).

The performance should be only slightly below the normal RTX 2060 due to the decreased clock rates. It should be most suited for 1080p gaming at maximum detail level. Raytracing features however may reduce framerates a lot, so using raytracing will be limited to some games.

The chip is specified at a TGP of around 65 Watt and therefore clearly lower than the 80 - 90 Watt of the regular RTX 2060 Mobile.